Crypto Morning News: U.S. February CPI comes in fully below expectations; Binance secures $2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi sovereign fund

Author: TechFlow

Yesterday's Market Dynamics

U.S. February CPI Data Comes in Fully Below Expectations

According to Jin10 News, U.S. February CPI data came in fully below expectations.

The U.S. February unadjusted year-over-year CPI was recorded at 2.8%, the lowest since November last year;

The U.S. February seasonally adjusted month-over-month CPI rose 0.2%, the lowest since October last year.

The U.S. February unadjusted core CPI year-over-year rate was 3.1%, the lowest since April 2021;

The U.S. February seasonally adjusted core CPI month-over-month rate was 0.2%, the lowest since December last year.

Following the release of the U.S. CPI data, the dollar index DXY dropped over 30 points, trading at 103.34.

U.S. Stocks Wednesday Close: Nasdaq Rises 1.2%, Tesla Up Over 7%

According to Jin10, on Wednesday, the Dow Jones initially closed down 0.2%, the S&P 500 rose 0.49%, and the Nasdaq closed up 1.2%. Nvidia (NVDA.O) gained 6.4%, while Tesla (TSLA.O) surged 7.5%.

Santiment: Cautious Market Sentiment May Continue Until Trading Activity Significantly Increases

According to Santiment analysis, cryptocurrency market trading volume has been declining continuously since reaching a peak on February 27. After two more weeks of market cap decline, trader behavior reflects a mix of fatigue, despair, and capitulation.

The report notes that when major cryptocurrencies show sustained volume declines—even during minor price rebounds like Wednesday’s—this typically indicates weakening trader enthusiasm. In such cases, traders become cautious, suggesting they may not believe the current price rally will last. Essentially, reduced trading activity reflects uncertainty, as fewer traders are confident that buying at current levels will be profitable.

Declining volume during a mild price recovery could be an early warning sign of weakening market momentum. Without strong buying participation, price gains may quickly lose steam due to insufficient support to sustain an upward trend, potentially making any rebound temporary and prices vulnerable to further downside.

For a healthier and more sustainable recovery, bulls usually want to see rising prices accompanied by increasing volume. Until trading activity significantly picks up, cautious market sentiment is likely to persist.

Shen Yu Releases "312" Five-Year Survey: 70.5% of Investors Still Recovering Losses, 48.8% Rely on "HODLing BTC and Other Coins" as Primary Wealth Source

Shen Yu (@bitfish1) conducted a survey on X marking the fifth anniversary of the "312" crash event. Despite Bitcoin rising approximately 20-fold from $4,000 over the past five years, 70.5% of respondents said they are “still recovering their costs.” Meanwhile, 17.6% of investors achieved 1–20x growth, 5% reached 20–100x growth, and 6.9% achieved over 100x returns.

In another survey on primary wealth sources, 48.8% of participants chose “HODLing BTC and other coins,” 35% cited “trading (swing trading, meme PVP, etc.),” with DeFi mining and arbitrage accounting for 8.5% and 7.7% respectively.

Dragonfly Report: U.S. Crypto Users May Have Missed Over $5 Billion in Airdrop Gains Due to Geographic Restrictions

According to Dragonfly’s latest “State of Airdrops 2025” report, U.S. users have missed substantial crypto airdrop gains due to geographic restrictions. The report analyzed data from 12 airdrop projects between 2019 and 2023 (11 geographically restricted and one unrestricted control), estimating that 920,000 to 5.2 million active U.S. users (5–10% of U.S. crypto holders) were affected by geo-blocking policies.

The study found that around 22–24% of global active crypto addresses in 2024 belonged to U.S. residents. Across the 11 sample projects, about $7.16 billion in value was distributed, with roughly 1.86 million users claiming airdrops globally, averaging a median claim of approximately $4,800 per eligible address. The report estimates that U.S. users lost potential gains of $1.84–2.64 billion from 2020 to 2024 due to geographic restrictions.

More broadly, based on 21 geographically restricted airdrop samples analyzed by CoinGecko, U.S. users may have missed out on $3.49–5.02 billion. This led to estimated federal tax losses of $418 million to $1.1 billion and state tax losses of $107 million to $284 million, totaling $525 million to $1.38 billion in tax revenue loss. The report also noted that crypto firms relocating overseas have significantly reduced U.S. tax receipts—for example, Tether reported $6.2 billion in profits in 2024; if fully subject to U.S. taxation, it could have contributed about $1.3 billion in federal corporate tax and $316 million in state tax.

Insider: Ripple vs. SEC Case May Soon Conclude, Parties Negotiating Fines and Injunction Terms

According to Forbes business reporter Eleanor Terrett, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple is nearing conclusion and may end soon.

Two sources indicated that delays in reaching an agreement stem from Ripple’s legal team negotiating terms of the district court ruling from August last year, seeking more favorable conditions. That ruling imposed a $125 million fine on Ripple and permanently barred it from selling XRP to institutional investors.

One source said Ripple argues that if the new SEC leadership is now aiming to “clear the enforcement slate” for previously investigated crypto companies, then why should Ripple still face penalties? Accepting Judge Torres’ ruling would mean Ripple effectively admits wrongdoing, yet even the SEC itself now appears uncertain whether any violation actually occurred.

MGX Invests $2 Billion in Binance, Setting New Record in Crypto Industry

Binance and MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based investor in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, announced a landmark $2 billion investment. This marks Binance’s first institutional investment and represents a significant step forward in advancing digital asset adoption and strengthening blockchain’s role in global finance. It is not only the largest single investment ever made in a crypto company but also the largest investment ever paid in cryptocurrency (stablecoins).

This investment marks MGX’s first entry into the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, acquiring a minority stake in Binance as part of its broader strategy supporting blockchain’s transformative societal impact. By collaborating with industry leaders, MGX aims to drive innovation at the intersection of AI, blockchain technology, and finance.

Binance CEO Richard Teng added: “MGX’s investment is a major milestone for both the crypto industry and Binance. Together, we’re shaping the future of digital finance. Our goal is to build a more inclusive and sustainable ecosystem, focusing on compliance, security, and user protection.”

Richard Teng previously served as CEO of the Abu Dhabi Financial Services Regulatory Authority, playing a key role in launching one of the world’s first crypto regulatory frameworks, giving him critical influence over Binance’s regulatory strategy.

Nillion Token Airdrop Allocation Lookup Now Open

According to Nillion’s official X account, the token airdrop allocation lookup is now open.

"Hyperliquid 50x Leverage Whale" Earns $1.86 Million Today, Total Leveraged Trading Profits Reach $15.01 Million Recently

According to on-chain analyst EmberCN (@EmberCN), the "Hyperliquid 50x leverage whale" has closed its 175,000 ETH position, earning $1.86 million today, bringing recent leveraged trading profits to a cumulative $15.01 million.

Binance Alpha Launches New Review Mechanism, Tokens Including FAI, METAV, MLG to Be Removed

Per official announcement, Binance Alpha has launched a new review mechanism to conduct regular evaluations of featured tokens. Given the inherent volatility and rapid development of the crypto industry, this review process enables dynamic adjustments to ensure all projects listed on Binance Alpha continue to meet market-driven evaluation criteria. All tokens displayed on Binance Alpha will be assessed under this framework:

• Quantitative metrics: trading volume stability, liquidity depth, on-chain transaction frequency, token holder distribution, and other relevant indicators.

• Qualitative standards: project team credibility, regulatory compliance, ecosystem synergy, community recognition, and other relevant factors.

Tokens failing to meet these standards will be removed from Binance Alpha.

Based on recent detailed reviews, the following tokens do not meet Binance wallet standards and will be delisted from Binance Alpha: FAI, METAV, MLG, MONKY, PSTAKE, WHALES, GEL, VISTA, EVAN, MIRA, COCO, TAOCAT, FLOCK, OPUS, FREYA, AIXCB, VERTAI, STRDY, SEKOIA, VADER, ELIZA.

GMGN Co-Founder Responds to "Poor Management and Blow-Up" Allegations: Financial Condition Healthy, No Sustained High Marketing Spend

GMGN co-founder Haze responded to recent questions about whether GMGN’s marketing strategy could lead to poor management or collapse, stating the company’s financial condition is healthy and stable. “These expenses were long ago recouped by GMGN. So regardless of market conditions, we don’t have sustained high marketing spending. Team expansion has been restrained, and both commercial revenue and cash reserves are healthy—we’re talking the kind of health where you can sleep soundly with your eyes shut.”

Haze revealed that GMGN executed precise KOL signings in November last year using an “assassin-style approach,” which has already delivered strong returns. Currently, the team is primarily focused on product development and user experience optimization, including improvements to interface details, K-line speed, and other aspects, while also preparing for an event in Hong Kong in April.

Regarding GMGN’s future direction, Haze said: “GMGN is a trading platform, trading tool, and data analytics platform—these are our features—but GMGN is more than that. We continuously iterate and optimize infrastructure and user experience. As a fully on-chain company, we also use fragmented time to explore new directions, new demands, and new pain points.”

Market Update

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